What I’m Learning as I Plan My Own Wedding as a Twenty-Something College Student

The dream wedding. Most of us have been imagining our big day since we fell in love with prince charming, or decided that we would lose our glass slipper at midnight. We fill up our Pinterest boards with hundreds of amazing photos, browse boutiques, and even keep mental notes of every single wedding we have ever attended. Our best friends, who obviously know that they will be in the bridal party, know our color choices, what dress we would kill to wear, and even what cake flavor we would choose.

Although I couldn’t find a pair of glass slippers in my size, I did find my prince charming. A Minnesota boy who would stay out on a lake or a baseball field all day and night if you would let him. He’s the most selfless and caring man I have ever met. We connected online, met up one day just to chat, and the rest is history. Now, we are 314 days away from the big day and could not be more excited to start this new chapter in our lives.

With that in mind, Jordan will be graduating in May and I will graduate in December of this year. Once the holidays are through, we decided that February would be the perfect choice for our wedding! Jordan is graciously attending meetings and giving opinions where needed, but has gladly handed most of the responsibilities over to me. I have kept my bridal party and family occupied with constant ideas and updates as the planning process moves along. I think my mom appreciates that a little more than my dad does, but he gives an opinion when he can!

Yes, we have gotten some less-than-positive feedback about having a wedding out of college for many reasons. Whether that be age, location, time of year, etc., we have practically heard it all. I think so far, the most important thing I have learned while planning our wedding is the basic fact that it is OUR wedding. Do not, I repeat, do not let anyone else change that. This is your time to celebrate and enjoy together as a couple. There may be details that family or friends aren’t huge fans of, but at the end of the day, they will show up and they will support you.

The most surprising thing I have learned so far about planning my wedding is that when I have my checklist divided up into what I need to accomplish each month, I haven’t been too overwhelmed. I absolutely love using Pinterest for my wedding details. I can search for ideas about almost any aspect of my wedding that I would want to learn more about. It is easy to get too caught up in the breathtaking photos and grand ideas though. Learning to know what I can and can’t afford to do with our wedding has been a big learning curve. Taking small aspects of  the ideas I love has gotten me farther than anything.

As an event associate at Hitch for over a year, I have been blessed during this wedding planning process because of the connections I have made and just the experience of working behind the scenes of countless weddings. Jordan and I decided to have our wedding in Brookings, which allowed me to utilize all of the awesome vendors I have met through Hitch! This has made my wedding experience beyond enjoyable because I know the vendors and I trust their work because I have seen them in action. The venue, the photographer, and the florist are all lovely ladies I have met through work that I couldn’t imagine tackling this event without.

Overall, I have loved being engaged and planning our wedding while in school. I still feel like Jordan proposed just yesterday. This time and this process has been a celebration for us as a couple and a celebration for what is in store in our futures as a married couple! It has brought us closer than ever and taught us, maybe Jordan more, about this new, crazy family we are about to bring together. With that, I don’t think February can come fast enough.

By Danielle Stane
SDSU Student, Hitch employee

 

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